ILLINOISDEPARTMENTOF NATURAL RESOURCES

J.B. Pritzker,
Governor|illinois.gov

Aquatic Organisms

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Articles Found: 86

A brown and white bald eagle soars on a sunny winter day. In the background are tree branches. On the top right, a logo celebrating Illinois Department of Natural Resources being established for 100 years overlays the image of the eagle.

Illinois Department of Natural Resources Centennial as a State Agency: 1925–2025

February 3, 2025 by Chris Young

Aquatic Organisms | Land | People | Wildlife | 100th Anniversary | History of Conservation

A puddle of water is all that remains to a pond that dried up. Tall grasses make up the pond shoreline against a few trees in the background. A bright blue partly cloudy sky is overhead.

Tales From Beneath the Surface

February 3, 2025 by Kathy Andrews Wright

Aquatic Organisms | Wildlife | Mammals | Rivers and Lakes

A tan and white freshwater mussel nestled in a sandy river bed.

Finding the Elusive Salamander Mussel Alive in Illinois After a Century in Obscurity

February 3, 2025 by Sarah Douglass, Mark Davis

Aquatic Organisms | People | Research | Endangered and Threatened Species | Mussels | Research | Rivers and Lakes

Softshell turtles come in a range of colors from light tan to deep brown and even orangish yellow like this yearling smooth softshell. It is described as xanthic due to an abundance of xanthophores (cells in the skin that contain yellow pigment.) 

Smooth Softshell Turtles: A Focal Species of the Illinois Wildlife Action Plan

February 3, 2025 by Laura Kammin

Aquatic Organisms | aquatic organism | turtle

An angler holds up a large tan fish in front of his torso with both of his hands. In the background is a freshwater lake and a shoreline filled with lush green trees and shrubs against a bright blue sky.

Illinois’ Prairie Bonefish – Carp on the Fly

February 3, 2025 by Tom Yocom

Aquatic Organisms | Recreation | Fishing | Rivers and Lakes

A group of high school aged students stand together in two rows. The teacher stands to the right of the students in the second back row.

Voices for the Future: Everyone Can Make a Difference

February 3, 2025 by Tristin Bednar, Madelynn Grampp, Megan Wiechmann

Aquatic Organisms | Land | People | Wildlife | Regulations | Youth

A young African American boy holds a fishing rod and reel in his right hand and holds up a small green fish caught on the line in his left hand. In the background is a grassy area surrounded by trees against a partly cloudy bright blue sky.

A Beginner’s Guide to Fishing Illinois: Finding Prairie State Fishing Spots

February 3, 2025 by Wes Littlefield

Aquatic Organisms | Recreation | Fishing

A map holds up a very large fish while standing in front of a large fresh water lake. A bright blue sky is reflected in the waves of the lake in the background. Overlaying the image in the top right is a gray map of the state of Illinois with a star indicating Grundy County in the upper north corner of the state.

Heidecke Lake: Fisheries Management at a Former Power Plant Cooling Lake

February 3, 2025 by Seth Love

Aquatic Organisms | Land | Fishing | Places to Visit

A man wearing tan waders stands in shallow water of a pond. In front of the man is a wire mesh enclosure protecting native aquatic plants so they can become established.

Good Habits for Good Aquatic Habitat

February 3, 2025 by Jim Garavaglia

Aquatic Organisms | Land | Recreation | Fishing | Habitat Management or Enhancement

On a bright sunny day four children and two adults stand on the edge of a lake. The two adults help the children with fishing rods and reels.

Seasonal Fishing Instructors Kickstart a Lifetime of Fishing

February 3, 2025 by Jonathan Schlesinger

Aquatic Organisms | Recreation | Fisheries Pick | Fishing

Three young men stand in a fishing boat. One individual holds up two large green fish one in each hand. Two other individuals stand and hold fishing rods and reels at the front of the boat trying to catch fish.

Bass Fishing a Growing Competitive Sport for Youth

November 1, 2024 by Tad Locher

Aquatic Organisms | Recreation | Fishing | Youth

Two Illinois conservation police officers stand on a boat. One officer drives the boat while the other stands with his hands together. In the background is a foggy Chicago skyline.

Snagging Salmon, A Fall Tradition

November 1, 2024 by Steven Beltran

Aquatic Organisms | Recreation | Fishing | Places to Visit | Regulations | Rivers and Lakes

A scientist wearing orange waders stands in a boat on a river holding a large dark gray fish. In the background is a shoreline filled with trees against a partly cloudy sky.

Black Carp in Illinois: An invasive threat to native ecosystems

November 1, 2024 by Gretchen Steele

Aquatic Organisms | Recreation | Research | Fishing | Habitat Management or Enhancement | Rivers and Lakes

A group of high school students and their coaches stand together on a dock over a body of water. In the background is the shoreline with tall grasses and trees interspersed against a overcast cloudy sky.

Hooking Youth on Fishing

November 1, 2024 by Kathy Andrews Wright

Aquatic Organisms | Recreation | Fishing

A group of people fish on the shoreline of a lake. In the foreground, an African American man in a wheel chair holds a fishing rod and reel. To the right, a Caucasian man holds up a fish caught on the line from the man in the wheelchair.

Chicago No Limits Fishing Helping Veterans Reel in the Fish

November 1, 2024 by Jonathan Schlesinger

Aquatic Organisms | Recreation | Fisheries Pick | Fishing

A huge aquarium tank filled with different large fish. The very large tank is in a large high-top tent in a State Fair. Sunlight filters through the entrance of the tent to the large aquarium tank. To the right are people visiting the tent and looking at taxidermied fish arranged on the wall of the space.

Focus Your Illinois State Fair Visit on New Fish Exhibits

August 1, 2024 by Kevin Irons

Aquatic Organisms | People | Recreation | Fish | Fishing | Places to Visit

Sunlight peeks through the canopy of a woodland to touch on a small ephemeral pool. In the background is a lush green forest.

Early Spring Univoltine Mosquitoes of Illinois

August 1, 2024 by Andrew Mackay, Chris Stone

Aquatic Organisms | Research | Wildlife | Research | Wetland | Wildlife Health

A black turtle speckled with yellow spots walks through a leaf littered forest floor.

Protected, Endangered or Threatened:<br>Understanding the Classification of Illinois’ Wildlife

August 1, 2024 by Kaleigh Gabriel

Aquatic Organisms | Wildlife | Endangered and Threatened Species

A group of children lined up along the edge of a dock over lake Michigan hold fishing rods and reels in hopes of catching a fish. In the background are Chicago skyscrapers.

A Voice for Anglers

August 1, 2024 by Kathy Andrews Wright

Aquatic Organisms | Recreation | Fishing | Places to Visit | Urban Wildlife

An orange butterfly nectars on clusters of dark pink flowers. In the background is a grassy area beneath a bright blue partly cloudy sky. Tall trees are to the right.

Partaking Partly of Each, The Surface and Subsurface of the Karst Region of Illinois

August 1, 2024 by Patty Gillespie

Aquatic Organisms | Land | Recreation | Wildlife | Natural Area | Places to Visit

Explore Our Family of Websites

A link the Wildlife Illinois web site with advertisements for its four sections: Help, Sightings, Wildlife Identification, and Prevent Problems.
A link the Hunt Illinois web site.
A link the CICADA web site.
A link the Living with White-tailed Deer web site with advertisements for its three sections: ecology, management, and history.